Support apparatus for a power unit in a motor vehicle

ABSTRACT

A vehicle power unit constituted by an internal combustion engine and a transmission is supported at one end from the wall of the engine compartment of the vehicle and from the other end by a T-shaped support having a hollow longitudinal arm and transverse arms supported at their free ends from the vehicle floor in the region of side sill members. The hollow longitudinal arm can receive a speed control lever which connects to the power unit.

United States Patent 1 Takeda 1 Sept. 18, 1973 1 SUPPORT APPARATUS FOR APOWER UNIT IN A MOTOR VEHICLE [75] Inventor: liideo TaliedafTTky ojapafi[73] Assign ee: Harmonia 1255mm Kaisha, Tokyo, Japan 221 Filed: 08.22,1971 [21] Appl. No.: 191,840

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 860,670,Sept. 24, 1969,

abandoned.

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 24, 1968 Japan 43/68870[52] US. Cl 180/64 R, 180/42, 248/6 [51] Int. Cl 860k 5/12 [58] Field ofSearch 180/11, 12, 42, 64 R; 248/3, 6, 7

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,751,992 6/1956 Nallinger180/12 X 2,208,709 7/1940 Tsaarda 180/11 X 3,204,717 9/1965 Collins[80/42 1,991,619 2/1935 Mackenzie 180/11 X 3,037,574 6/1962 Clerk 180/64R X 2,020,597 11/1935 Appel 180/64 R 2,076,034 4/1937 Lampman... 248/71,686,578 10/1928 Slack 180/64 2,092,040 9/1937 Aitken 180/54 FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS France 180/42 Primary Examiner-Kenneth H. BettsAssistant ExaminerJohn P. Silverstrim Attorney-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz& Nissen [57] ABSTRACT A vehicle power unit constituted by an internalcombustion engine and a transmission is supported at one end from thewall of the engine compartment of the vehicle and from the other end bya T-shaped support having a hollow longitudinal arm and transverse armssupported at their free ends from the vehicle floor in the region ofside sill members. The hollow longitudinal arm can receive a speedcontrol lever which connects to the power unit.

7 Claims, Drawing Figures Patented Sept. 18, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Patented Sept. 18, 1973 nm E 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 N um Patented Sept. 18,1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 SUPPORT APPARATUS FOR A POWER UNIT IN A MOTORVEHICLE This application is a continuation application of Ser. No.860,670, filed Sept. 24, 1969, now abandoned.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the support ofthe propulsion means of a vehicle, such as a motor car.

It is conventional in a motor car of front-engine front-wheel drive typeor rear-engine rear-wheel drive type to assemble an internal combustionengine, a multi-speed transmission and a differential apparatus as anintegral unit to form a power unit.

Moreover, it is conventional to attach this unit at its front and rearend portions to walls of this car body for support thereby. Thisintroduces the deficiency that the reaction torque to the wheel drivingtorque exerts forces on the power unit directly on its supporting jointsto cause damage to said joints. Additionally vibration of the engine istransmitted directly to the walls of the car body to cause vibrationthereof.

A first object of this invention is to remove these deficiencies and asecond object is to provide a positive protection apparatus for achange-speed operation lever.

In accordance with the invention, the power unit is supported by meansof first and second longitudinal supports coupled to the power unit atopposite ends thereof, the first support being supported from thewall ofan engine compartment of the vehicle body, the second support comprisingtransverse arms having ends supported from the floor of the vehicle bodyin the vicinity of side, sill members.

The second support includes a hollow, longitudinal arm with one endconnected to one of the ends of the power unit and a second end fromwhich the transverse arms extend. The lever for the change-speedoperation can extend through the hollow, longitudinal arm for connectionwith the power unit and a shift lever in the passenger compartment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional sideview of one embodiment of a front-wheel drive motor car according tothis invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same; and

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views taken along the 1 lines III-III,IV-IV and VV in FIG. 2, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION According to this invention, a power unit 1composed of an integral assembly of an internal combustion engine, atransmission, and a differential mechanism is provided with a supportingmember 2 comprising right and left' transverse arms 2a and 2b extendingtransversely from the unit 1 to the lower surface of a floor 3 of thepassenger compartment of the vehicle body, and the ends of arms 2a and2b are supported from the lower surface of floor 3 in the vicinity ofside sill members 4 disposed at the right and left side edges of thefloor 3. Additionally the power unit 1 is supported at its front endportion from the wall 5 of an engine compartment 18.

The supporting member 2 includes a longitudinally extending arm 2c andthe right and left transverse arms 2a and 2b are integral one withanother and attached to arm 2c to project at right angles from the endthereof so that the member 2 assumes a T-shape as seen in FIG. 2.However, member 2 can be modified so that the right and left transversearms 2a and 2b are arranged to extend in a V form from the power unit 1directly or through an attaching member.

According to a feature of this invention, the longitudinally extendingarm 2c is hollow and a change-speed operation lever 6 is housed in thehollow interior 7 of arm 20 and is coupled to power unit 1. Transversearms 2a, 2b are also hollow and constructed as box beams as seen in FIG.5.

The illustrated embodiment shows the construction where this inventionis applied to a front-engine frontwheel drive type motor car, andnumeral 8 denotes a front driving wheel, numeral 9 denotes its axle, andnumeral 10 denotes an arm attached to the front end portion of the power.unit 1, the opposite ends of said arm 10 being attached to the wall 5of the engine compartment through respective resilient blocks 11.Numeral l2 denotes hinge pins for attachment of the supporting member 2to the power unit 1, numeral 13 denotes the attaching portion at whichthe arm 2a is attached to the floor wall 3, and numeral 14 denotes aresilient block used at portion 13. Numeral 15 is a transmission shiftlever, numeral 16 is a steering wheel and numeral 17 is a resilientblock applied to the connecting portion interposed between the arm 20and the transverse arms 20 and 2b.

If this invention is applied to a rear-engine rear-wheel drive typemotor car, the supporting member 2 extends forward in reverse of theillustrated arrangement.

In the apparatus of this invention, the reaction torque, to the drivingtorque, transmitted from the wheel 8 and the axle 9 to the power unit 1is in turn transmitted through the long supporting member 2 to the lowersurface of the floor 3 remote from the axle 9, so that the resistanceload is decreased in inverse proportion to the length of the supportingmember 2 and thus the strength of the supporting structure can bereduced accordingly. Additionally, though the load is resisted by thefloor 3, the same is partly reinforced by the side sill members 4 lyingon both sides of the passenger compartment, so that it is not requiredfor the floor 3 to be especially increased in its strength to carry theload from the arms 2a, 2b. I

Additionally, the vibration of the engine is dispersed to both sides ofthe car body through the supporting member 2, so that the car body canbe substantially freed from vibration by the engine.

If the change-speed operation lever 6 is disposed below the floor 3 andenclosed in the hollow arm 2c of the supporting member 2, said rod 6 canbe prevented from being damaged by scattering pebbles and protrusions ofthe ground.

What is claimed is:

1. In a motor vehicle of the front engine-front drive or rearengine-rear drive type having a body including a walled enginecompartment and a power unit therein supported by said body, said powerunit including an integral engine-drive assembly of an internalcombustion'engine and a transmission, said power unit including a wheelaxle extending therefrom laterally of said body for imparting rotationto at least one wheel positioned externally of said body, an improvementcomprising; means for supportingsaid power unit from said body, saidmeans including first and second longitudinally spaced supports coupledto said power unit at opposite ends thereof, said body having a floorwith longitudinally extending sill members at the edges thereof, saidfirst support being supported from at least one wall of and within saidengine compartment, said second support including a supporting armmember extending generally longitudinally along the vehicle body belowthe floor thereof, and said second support further comprising transversearms connected to said longitudinally extending arm member in proximityto one end of and below said car body and having ends supported from thebody floor in the vicinity of said sill members.

2. An improvement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said longitudinallyextending arm member has one end connected to one of said ends of thepower unit and a second end from which said transverse arms extend.

3. An improvement as claimed in claim 2, wherein said longitudinal armis hollow, said vehicle including a lever for a change-speed operation,said lever extending through said longitudinal arm and being coupled tosaid power unit.

4. An improvement as claimed in claim 2 comprising a resilient blockbetween said longitudinal and transverse arms.

5. An improvement as claimed in claim 2, wherein said transverse armsextend from said longitudinal arm to form a T-shaped assembly therewith.

6. An improvement-as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first supportincludes transverse arms extending from said power unit to said enginecompartment wall.

7. An improvement as claimed in claim 1, said second support beingproximate said axle.

1. In a motor vehicle of the front engine-front drive or rearengine-rear drive type having a body including a walled enginecompartment and a power unit therein supported by said body, said powerunit including an integral engine-drive assembly of an internalcombustion engine and a transmission, said power unit including a wheelaxle extending therefrom laterally of said body for imparting rotationto at least one wheel positioned externally of said body, an improvementcomprising; means for supporting said power unit from said body, saidmeans including first and second longitudinally spaced supports coupledto said power unit at opposite ends thereof, said body having a floorwith longitudinally extending sill members at the edges thereof, saidfirst suppOrt being supported from at least one wall of and within saidengine compartment, said second support including a supporting armmember extending generally longitudinally along the vehicle body belowthe floor thereof, and said second support further comprising transversearms connected to said longitudinally extending arm member in proximityto one end of and below said car body and having ends supported from thebody floor in the vicinity of said sill members.
 2. An improvement asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said longitudinally extending arm member hasone end connected to one of said ends of the power unit and a second endfrom which said transverse arms extend.
 3. An improvement as claimed inclaim 2, wherein said longitudinal arm is hollow, said vehicle includinga lever for a change-speed operation, said lever extending through saidlongitudinal arm and being coupled to said power unit.
 4. An improvementas claimed in claim 2 comprising a resilient block between saidlongitudinal and transverse arms.
 5. An improvement as claimed in claim2, wherein said transverse arms extend from said longitudinal arm toform a T-shaped assembly therewith.
 6. An improvement as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said first support includes transverse arms extendingfrom said power unit to said engine compartment wall.
 7. An improvementas claimed in claim 1, said second support being proximate said axle.